Should Manchester United fans thank David Moyes for Wayne Rooney’s new contract?

David Moyes gave Wayne Rooney his professional debut when he was just 16-years-old, bringing him off the bench for against Southampton in Everton’s 1-0 win in April 2002.

His first goals came in the League Cup towards the beginning of the next season which made him the youngest goalscorer in Everton’s history.

Five days before his 17th birthday he scored a fantastic last minute winner against Arsenal, ending their 30 game unbeaten run, which made him the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history.

Having spent two seasons in Everton’s first team, Moyes then sold Rooney to United, after his agent turned down a £12,000-a-week contract from his boyhood club.

Two years later, the first installment of Rooney’s autobiography came out and was serialised in The Daily Mail newspaper.

Rooney alleged that Moyes had leaked details of a conversation they had to the newspapers, which lead to the player feeling forced out of the club. Moyes strenuously denied this claim and eventually the case was settled outside of court with the publishers admitting their error.

Moyes accepted substantial libel damages, which he donated to the Everton Former Players Foundation.

‘Anyone who knows me well would, I hope, regard me as a man of honour and integrity,’ Moyes said. ‘I was disappointed and wanted people to know that what had been written was completely untrue. I felt that I had no choice but to take action for a full apology and damages.’

Ahead of a game between United and Everton years later, Moyes revealed that his relationship with Rooney had been repaired after the player rang him to apologise. Moyes insisted he had only ever wanted the best for Rooney and had styled his man-management approach with him on Sir Alex Ferguson’s treatment of Ryan Giggs years earlier.

‘All I ever wanted to do was handle Wayne like Sir Alex handled Ryan Giggs,’ Moyes revealed. ‘I looked at it and thought ‘Who could guide me?

‘The only person in management who I could see where it would come from was how Sir Alex managed Ryan Giggs. Look at Giggs now; he could be a representative of Manchester United for the rest of his life and my idea was to try and keep Wayne on a similar path.’

Rooney’s career has followed a fairly steady path since leaving Everton, with him winning plenty of trophies and contributing significantly to the success United have enjoyed since he moved to Manchester. But somewhere along the line he fell out with Ferguson and believed it was time to move on.

Towards the end of last season, Ferguson revealed that Rooney had told him he wanted to leave the club. Rooney’s people strongly denied that a written transfer request had been handed in but there was no denial that the conversation with Ferguson had taken place.

Last October, Rooney was asked what had gone on in the summer, to which he responded: ‘I’m not going to go around saying I wanted to stay or I wanted to leave.’

It’s clear that Rooney enjoys a better relationship with Moyes than he did Ferguson, after burying the hatchet over the autobiography, and that the managerial change made it possible for the player to stay.

‘There was a lot of speculation in the summer but I was pleased when David Moyes came in to the club,’ Rooney said yesterday. ‘I’ve got a great relationship with him and he’s shown a lot of trust and faith in me. I’m delighted to be signed up now.

Plenty of United fans are now openly criticising Moyes for what is happening on the pitch this season, but it is clear that off the pitch he has been key to preventing Rooney from leaving.